


A Dragon In A Lions Den

by happy_little_trees3



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abusive Dursley Family, Black Hermione Granger, Dumbledore Basing, Eventual Drarry, F/M, Golden Quartet, Good Malfoys, Gryffindor Draco Malfoy, Harry is Clueless, Heirships, Indian Harry Potter, M/M, Polotics, Wizengamot, fuck jkr she’s a terf, manipulative dumbeldore, not relevant to the story but i care about my trans freinds, only ship figured out, snape has morals and isn’t a winy bitch, tags will be updated as story goes on, the sorting hat takes no shit, when isn’t he though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:22:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24795355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happy_little_trees3/pseuds/happy_little_trees3
Summary: Draco Malfoy went to Hogwarts expecting to follow his fathers footsteps and be the prince of Slytherin.The Sorting Hat has other things in mind.Gryffindor Draco with the Golden Quartet!
Relationships: Draco Malfoy & Narcissa Black Malfoy, Hermione Granger & Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Minerva McGonagall & Golden Quartet, Severus Snape & Golden Quartet
Comments: 72
Kudos: 243





	1. The Sorting Hat Doesn’t Listen To You If You’re A Whiny Bitch

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! The promised Gryffindor Draco fic is here! I don’t have a ton written but I’m aiming for Thursday updates. We’ll see if that happens. Enjoy!

Draco Malfoy knew who he was supposed to be. 

He was a Malfoy. His father expected the best from him, as heir to the line. He couldn disappoint him. Draco knew that he was going to go to Hogwarts, to  _ Slytherin,  _ and he was going to do what he had to to get ahead. 

Draco hugged his parents at the platform like every other kid did on September first. His mother kissed his cheek, and he got on the train. He passed a compartment with a redheaded kid and another boy he remembered from Diagon Alley, but he was late for meeting his friends so he kept walking.

The ride to Hogwarts went by fast. He spent it talking about what the Slytherin common room would be like with Pansy and Blaise, who had been his best friends since they were kids. 

Rumors went up and down the train about Harry Potter. Draco could care less about the Boy-Who-Lived. The poor boy was a shoe-in for Gryffindor, and Draco doubted he would look past the rivalry to even try being friends with Draco. 

His parents had warned him about the other houses hatred for Slytherin. Draco thought it was stupid, but it was eaiser to play into their beliefs than try to change it. If they thought you were evil, you might as well be, he supposed.

The train finally pulled into the station. The first-years were guided to the castle on boats, and all of them gasped when they saw the castle. The towering structure was truly magical, and Draco suddenly understood why his parents spoke so fondly of the school. 

It was  _ amazing.  _

They were guided through the entryway and gathered at the doors to the Great Hall. A stern woman called Professor McGonagall explained how the sorting was going to work. Draco heard that red-head from the train complaining about his brothers who had said he would have to fight a troll. Draco snorted, wondering why anyone would believe that.

Finally _ ,  _ they were taken into the hall. An old hat sat on a stool, and students were called up one by one to be sorted.

“Abbot, Hannah!” 

Draco tuned out the other students, clapping politely when they were sorted. As he suspected, Potter went to Gryffindor although he had almost been a hatstall. The lions wouldn’t stop clapping for almost ten minutes. 

“Malfoy, Draco!” 

Draco stuck his chin up and sauntered up to the stool. Pansy shot him a grin from her seat at the Slytherin table, and Blasie gave him a thumbs up from the crowd. The hat came over Draco's eyes and blocked out the rest of the hall.

“ _ Well, Mr. Malfoy, you are a surprise.” _

__ Draco jumped a little at the voice in his head. “How so?” he asked.

_ “You seem to have decided your house already. Most who do so are correct, I will admit. But you, however, are not.” _

__ “I’m sorry?” Draco said, shocked.

_ “Yes, you think you are a Slytherin. That is not true. You would do far better in another house.” _

__ “No, I wouldn’t. I’m a Malfoy. They  _ always _ go into Slytherin!”

“ _ Usually, yes. However you must know that you are far more than your family name. You belong in  _ GRYFFINDOR _!” _

__ The hat shouted that last word to the hall. The hat was lifted off of his head and Draco stared wide eyed into the crowd. Professor McGonagall nudged him off the stool with a sad look in her eyes. He slowly made his way over to the table where the Gryffindors were and sat as far away from the other students as possible.

He would be shocked if he wasn’t disowned by morning.


	2. Lay Your Weary Head To Rest Already It’s Like Midnight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!

Draco barely heard the rest of the sorting. Some Weasley went to Gryffindor, no surprise, and Blaise was put in Slytherin. The two briefly made eye contact. Blaise looked so hurt, and Draco turned away. He had likely lost both Blaise and Pansy forever. They would  _ never  _ stay friends after this. They just...couldn’t.

The sorting had ended then, and after Dumbledore said some nonsense (Draco still firmly believed that man was crazy) food appeared on the table. Draco had lost his appetite, but made himself grab some potatoes and roast. 

Draco had, at this point, resigned himself to seven years alone. No one in Gryffindor would befriend him, he was a  _ Malfoy,  _ for Merlin's sake, and his Slytherin friends would likely abandon him. 

It won’t be that bad, he thought as he swallowed some of the roast. There's a big library here, plenty of books. He’d have a chance to explore the castle, and he would keep up with his classes quite well. 

Dinner passed and they were being led to Gryffindor tower before long. Draco had barely eaten, but, he noted, neither had Potter. Clearly, he wasn’t the only one nervous although he couldn’t fathom why the golden boy was.

The common room was guarded by a painting of a woman, the Fat Lady they called her. Draco resolved to see if she had a name besides that, it was awfully rude. (He ignored the password, Latin for dragon head) and the first year boys were guided up a set of stairs. Since there were so many of them, they were split in half. The Longbottom Heir and two other boys whose names he didn’t know shared one room, and Draco shared the other with Weasley and Potter.

Just...wonderful. 

The dorm room was a disgusting shade of red, with drapes on the beds to match. Draco changed into his nightclothes in the dorm room, intending to go straight to bed. 

Potter had other ideas, and was apparently tired of Dracos moping. 

“Malfoy, why are you so upset?”

He snapped. 

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because my whole family has been in Slytherin? Because I’ll likely be disowned by morning? Ask Weasley if you want to understand, I don’t have time for this!”

Potter grabbed his wrist before he could retreat behind the curtains. 

“Are your parents really going to disown you over this?”

Draco nodded, and pulled his wrist away.

“Alright. Where are your robes?”

“I’m  _ sorry?”  _

“Where are your robes? There's probably a color changing spell or whatever in our textbooks. We’ll make them green and sneek you down into the dungeons!”

Later in life, Draco Malfoy would look back on this moment and think two things: One, they were eleven, so of  _ course  _ they genuinely thought this was a good idea. Two, it was a  _ poor _ idea to put all of the impulsive eleven year olds together in one room.

“Do you think that will work?”

Potter nodded. “Worth a try! Ron, where's your charms textbook?”

The three boys spent the next hour trying to turn Dracos robes green. Before long, the curtains around Draco's bed were purple, Potter’s shirt was yellow, the wall was a dark blue, and Weasley’s freckles had all turned a weird shade of green.

Dracos robes were still red, but the three boys were laughing their heads off at the chaos around the room. The noise caused the prefect who had guided them to the dorms to stick his head in the room.

“What are you three  _ doing?”  _

“Percy! Look at my face!” Weasley said, with a large grin on his face. The boy, who was likely one of his brothers judging by the matching hair color, sighed and with a wave of his wand fixed the colors on Weasley’s face and the walls. Potter’s shirt and the curtains were left untouched, as if Percy hadn’t noticed they weren’t quite right.

“Just go to bed. Please.” Percy said, rubbing his eyes and wandering off. 

“You want me to go get him to fix the curtains? Oh, and your robes!” Weasley asked, pointing to the offending items. 

Draco wanted to say yes. He really did. His father would be livid when he found out how Draco had been sorted. There was no way he  _ wouldn’t  _ be. But Draco had just spent the last hour turning everything but his robes a different color with two boys who, logically, should hate his guts. 

But they didn’t.

“I think I’m ok where I am. Besides, I’m curious how long we can go with purple curtains in here.”

Harry and Ron (no longer Potter and Weasley, how could they be?) grinned like maniacs, and proceeded to change their own curtains green and orange respectively.

This was going to be an interesting year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought! Comments are always appreciated


	3. My Father Will Hear About This

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry this took so long it almost didn’t get finished. I had a busy week last week and never got a chance to write.

Draco woke up the next morning feeling sick. He contemplated skipping breakfast and postponing the inevitable Howler. He had written to his parents before going to bed, and surely they would have sent a response by now.

He forced himself to get out of bed and into the shower. Harry was the only other one awake by the time he finished his morning routine.

“How long have you been up?” Harry asked, grabbing his robes from his trunk.

“About an hour.”

“Why are  _ either  _ of you awake, breakfast isn’t for another  _ hour _ !” Ron groaned from behind his curtains. Draco walked over to the bed and threw the orange curtains wide open.

“Because we’re morning people. Get used to it.”

Ron groaned and pulled his sheets over his head. Draco grabbed them and pulled the covers off the boy, throwing them off the bed. He went over to put his toiletries in his trunk, quickly dodging the pillow Ron threw at him.

“C’mon Ron, just get out of bed. We need to find our way to the Great Hall, I’ve got no clue how to get back.” Harry said, coming back into the room. He had apparently left to change into his robes in the bathroom. Draco didn’t understand why he didn't just change in the dorms if he wasn’t going to shower. Maybe he was just shy.

It took another half hour to get Ron out of bed and ready to go. After checking that they had everything they needed for the day in their bags, the three boys made their way out of the tower and towards where they hoped the Great Hall was. 

Ten minutes later the trio found themselves in the Hall after being guided by a Third Year Ravenclaw who seemed desperate for coffee.

Ron immediately sat himself down and started shoveling food in his mouth. Harry on the other hand was much neater about his meal, although Draco noted with a frown he hardly ate more than some toast and fruit. Draco grabbed the container with sausages and started putting them on the boys plate.

“What are you doing?” Harry asked.

“You need to eat more, you’ll be famished by lunch.” Draco said, putting some of the sausages on his own plate. 

“Draco.” 

Said boy turned and found Pansy and Blaise behind him, both giving the other Gryffindors at the table nervous glances. 

“Blaise. Pansy.” He said, nodding to both of them.

“We just wanted to let you know that we’re not going to stop being friends with you just because you’re in Gryffindor.” Blaise said, staring him down. 

Draco blinked, surprised. He thought for sure the two would have abandoned him, but he was glad they were going to stick with him, as much as they could when they were in different houses. 

“Good to know. I’ll see you around, ok?”

The Slytherins smiled. Pansy gave him a kiss on the cheek and walked off towards her table with Blaise behind her. Draco turned back to his meal to find Ron and Harry staring at him.

“What was that about, mate?” Ron asked, looking like he was constipated. “They’re Slytherins! Whole lot is evil if you ask me…”

“Ron, we’re  _ eleven _ . Let it go.” Harry said, staring the other boy down. “The hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, and do I look evil? Besides, they seem nice enough.”

Harry went back to his meal, oblivious of the other two staring at him. Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, almost a snake? It was impossible to imagine that happening, but apparently it almost  _ had. _

As students began to file into the Hall, so did the mail. Draco stared at the owls coming in, looking for a glimpse of Achillies, his father's owl. Harry was also staring at the owls, but in wonder instead of dread.

“This is all so weird, don’t you think?” he asked, still staring at the birds.

“What do you mean?” Draco asked, taking another helping of sausage and trying to ignore the nausea building in his stomach. “Owl Post isn’t anything new.”

“It is to Harry.” Ron said. “He was raised by Muggles.”

Harry blushed, glancing down at his plate and away from their gazes. “I’m still learning about all of this. It’s a whole lot better than the Dursleys though.” 

Draco was now staring at Harry, confused. “You were raised by Muggles? Not a wizarding family?”

“Yeah,” Harry said with a shrug. “Why?”

Dracos meal lay forgotten as he took in Harry's words. “Harry, Dumbledore has been telling people for years that you were placed with a wizarding family after your parents died. That you were being raised at the height of luxury and being trained to be an Auror or whatever!”

Harry was looking between the two of them, mouth wide open in shock. Ron, however, was deep in thought. 

“Why would Dumbledore lie about that?” Ron asked, glaring at his porridge.

“Has he been saying the same things to your side?”

Ron nodded. “Now that you said something, yeah. That's what he’s been telling  _ everyone. _ ” he paused for a moment, looking put out. “Wonder what else he was lying about.”

Draco was just about to ask Harry about other aspects of his life that had possibly been fabricated or manipulated by Dumbledore when a figure came behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Mr. Malfoy, your parents are here and would like a word.” 

The color drained from his face as he heard Professor McGonagall's words. They had come to Hogwarts? Was disowning him by Howler not enough?

Draco took a shaky breath and stood from the table, their previous conversation forgotten. Harry and Ron were both giving him pitiful looks.

“I-I’ll see you in Transfiguration.” he said, following his head of house out of the Great Hall and to what was likely his doom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be from Harry’s POV. If you can’t tell by now this will not be a Dumbledore friendly fic and very political in nature.
> 
> Let me know what you think! How do you think the meeting will go? What else do you think Dumbledore has lied about?


	4. This Savior Is Not A Sheep To Be Slaughtered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know that part in Thor Ragnorok when Bruce is pushing buttons on the ship and he hits one and Jeff Goldbloom pops out and fireworks go off while he’s yelling “ITS MAH BIIIIRRRTHDAYYY”
> 
> That. That is my mood today

Harry was freaking out. 

Actually, no. That was an understatement. He was  _ more  _ than freaking out, but he didn’t know what it was called.

So he was just freaking out. 

This was all happening because  _ apparently,  _ the wizarding world knew everything about him. Or they thought they did.

Because if starving in the cupboard under the stairs while hoping he didn't bleed to death was considered the height of luxury by wizards, something was really wrong with these people. 

Harry barely heard Professor McGonagall approach. He felt bad for Draco. At least Harry was used to being a disappointment. Dracos parents loved him. Or at least they  _ had _ . Harry really hoped his friend was overreacting. He seemed the type to do that.

“Hey Ron, what did Draco mean by ‘your side’?” he asked, suddenly remembering their conversation.

“Hm? Oh his family is Dark. Mines Light.”

Silence. 

“Ok...and that means…?”

“Oh!” Ron said, looking sheepish. “Sorry. Ok, so, you know about the Ministry of Magic right?”

Harry nodded.

“Right. Well, my dad says they run pretty much the exact same as the Muggle Ministry, ‘cept they don’t make the laws and stuff. The lawmaking is done by the Wizengamont, and those guys are split into three different sections, Light, Dark, and Grey.”

“Ok...and what does that mean?” 

Ron scratched the back of his neck, looking nervous. “You might want to ask Draco for a better explanation because I really only know the basics. He's an Heir so he has to know all this stuff. Actually-” Ron's face scrunched up in confusion again. “-So should you. You’re inheriting the Potter seat when you turn seventeen.”

Harry stared at Ron. “So...I turn seventeen. And I get a  _ chair _ from the government?”

“Wha- _ No!” _ Ron shouted, looking at Harry like he was nuts” “I really think we need Draco for this”. He sighed, banging his head against the table. “I don’t know a ton about this since the only seats in my family are going to my older brothers.”

Harry just nodded and let Ron change the conversation to Quidditch, something Harry was finding himself looking forward to, even though he still didn’t understand most of it. His mind kept drifting to their earlier conversation. Harry knew he was missing something, and that was what bothered him the most- he should know all of this stuff, about seats and Light and Dark or  _ whatever,  _ but he didn’t. 

As he and Ron made their way to Transfiguration, Harry couldn’t help but wonder why no one had told him if it was supposed to be important.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Draco came back about halfway through Transfiguration with a smile on his face. According to his whispered explanation, Harry had been right in thinking Draco was one to overreact. His mother had been fine with his sorting, and although his father had hoped he ended up in Slytherin, he wasn’t upset enough to  _ disown  _ Draco. 

As Harry made his way through the morning, he almost completely forgot about the conversation from breakfast. He couldn’t  _ believe  _ he was learning magic! Professor McGonagall was strict, but she seemed really kind so Harry wasn’t too worried about her. Charms was fun as well, although the Professor fell off his stool when he said Harry's name during roll call. The morning breezed by and before Harry realized, it was lunch. He followed Draco and Ron back to the Great Hall, grinning like a lunatic. 

“Harry, Ron said you had questions about the Wizengamot?”

His grin vanished as he took in Dracos words. His conversation with Ron that morning had been...confusing and he really didn’t care-

Or did he? 

There was apparently an entire world Harry didn’t know about, right here. And Harry had a place in it, one that no one had told him about. His earlier doubts vanished, and he pushed down the notion of silence- at the Dursleys, you didn’t ask questions if you wanted to survive. This wasn’t the Dursleys, and Harry wanted to know  _ everything.  _ Why had he suddenly not cared about it?

He barely hesitated to throw his questions at Draco, who was more than happy to answer them.

“Alright, first things first: When we say seats, it  _ sort of _ means votes. The Ancient and Noble houses, which includes the Potters, have ten votes while the Noble houses have five. There's also the Grand houses, but those lines have been dead for centuries.”

“Who decides which houses are what?” Harry asked, grabbing a small sandwich from a nearby plate.

“The Ancient and Noble houses have been around since the time of Camelot. The families currently holding those seats are the descendants of the first members of the Round Table.” Draco said, radiating a superior air. He added more food to Harry's plate, same as he did at breakfast and Harry couldn’t help but blush. He didn’t understand why Draco kept doing that but was too nervous to ask. The sandwich was enough, really. 

“Anyways, the other houses were voted in over time. When you turn seventeen, you’ll inherit your seat as Lord Potter and be able to vote on laws in the Wizengamot.” Draco continued, waving his fork around. “The Light, Grey, and Dark titles are the separate factions. Dark houses tend to be more Traditional and Blood Purist. Light houses are the opposite; pro-Muggleborn and assimilation. Grey houses are somewhere in between.”

“And Blood Purists-” Ron interrupted, after swallowing his potatoes, “-are the Pureblood wizards who don’t think Muggleborns should be let into the Wizarding world, or at least think they’re lesser than them.” he scoffed. “Which, by the way, isn’t true. If anything, the inbreeding in Pureblood families is making them weaker, not Muggleborns. That's what my Mum says-”.

Ron cut himself off, looking confused. “I mean, that makes sense to me too but...Draco do you think that Dumbledore could be lying about that too? Like he was lying about Harry?”

Draco looked thoughtful for a moment, his brow furrowed. “Honestly, my Mother has said the same thing. About the inbreeding, not Dumbledore. She doesn’t quite agree with Father when it comes to Muggleborns. I plan on switching us to Grey when I inherit, for the record. If anything, Dumbledore is at least right about Muggleborns.”

The three boys continued their conversation about the Wizengamont and different politics all through lunch, completely ignorant of the frizzy haired Muggleborn listening to their every word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello hello!
> 
> Fair warning, I don’t think i’ll be posting next week. I will be back the week after but next week i take the ACT and i’m extremely behind on my writing o i’m taking a week off posting to study for a stupid test and catch up on my writing.
> 
> Regularly scheduled fan fiction will resume July 23rd.
> 
> Leave a comment and let me know what you thought!


	5. And Here We Have A Decent Human Being

Draco was the one who realized they were almost late. 

Their talk about the government and its process distracted any of them from realizing what time it was. The three of them abruptly grabbed their bags and sprinted towards the dungeons, praying they wouldn’t be late for their first Potions class.

They barely made it in time. Draco slammed the door to the classroom open and threw himself at a table, Harry and Ron close behind. Harry sat next to Draco while Ron was at the table behind them next to a frizzy haired girl Draco didn’t know. 

Snape came in a moment later with a loud bang. His cloak swished behind him, dramatically unfurling in a portrait intended to intimidate. Draco had never been intimidated by the man-he was an old friend of his mothers, and had been like an uncle to Draco growing up. No matter how hard he tried, Draco couldn’t figure out how he made his cloak do that.

Snape stalked to the front of the classroom and picked up a paper to take attendance. When he got to Harry's name, he hesitated for a split second afterwards, looking at the boy. Draco wouldn’t have known it happened if he didn’t know the man as well as he did. 

“You are here to learn the subtle and advanced art of potion making. Many of you might not think it magic, for you will  _ not,  _ under any circumstances, be using your wands. Can anyone tell me why this is?”

Draco and Harry were one of the few to raise their hands, Harry slightly more nervous. The girl next to Ron also raised her hand, though she was waving it around frantically, which, to be honest, was slightly annoying.

“Potter?”

“Well,” Harry said, looking slightly more nervous. “Doesn’t it mess with the magic of the potion? I think the example in the book was talking about lighting the fire with magic versus a match, but I don’t remember what it said would happen.”

“Correct, Mr. Potter, and if the segment you read was in  _ Magical Drafts and Potions,  _ which you should  _ all _ have a copy of, Jigger was discussing the Boil Cure potion. A flame lit by magic with that particular potion will cause it to do the opposite than intended, as well as explode halfway through the brewing process.”

Draco noted that Harry looked downright shocked at being addressed so politely by Snape, and the Muggleborn girl behind him looked put out that she hadn’t been able to answer. She was likely to be an absolute  _ blast,  _ sarcasm intended. 

“Now, speaking of textbooks, lets see if any of you have read them. Longbottom!”

The boy in question jumped almost a foot in the air and smacked his leg on the table, his face pale in absolute  _ terror _ . “What is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?”

To Dracos surprise, the terror almost  _ immediately  _ faded from Longbottoms face and he perked up considerably. 

“They’re the same plant, and they also go by Aconite! The most popular use is in the Wolfsbane potion which helps tame werewolves, but the plants have to be grown in-”

“Thank you, Longbottom. Your answer was sufficient” Snape said, interrupting what would have likely been a very long rant about the plant. Longbottom blushed, but he no longer looked like he wanted to puke.

“Weasley! Where would I look to find a Bezoar?”

Ron thought for a moment, then said, “In the stomach of a cow? Some sort of animal, I can’t really remember but if it was an emergency wouldn’t I just go to the Hospital Wing?”

Draco had to hold back a laugh, and most of the magic raised kids in the room did as well. 

“Your brothers have all given me similar answers. I am  _ quite _ shocked I got the same from you.” Snape said, no hint of said shock present in his face. “For those who aren’t aware, a Bezoar is a cure for natural poisons that can be found in the stomach of a goat. If you’ve been poisoned by Hemlock, you’d be advised to find one. An artificial poison, like a Blood-Draining Draught, however, will not be stopped by one. Malfoy!”

Draco sat up straight, prepared to please his godfather. He was happy the man didn’t seem to hate him for his sorting. 

“What would I get if I added powdered root of Asphodel to an infusion of Wormwood?”

Draco grinned. “A sleeping potion commonly known as the Draught of the Living Dead.”

Draco could have sworn he saw Snape's lips curl up in a grin, but it was gone too soon to be sure.

“Now, while I’m sure you are all eager to begin brewing, I must discuss some rules and basic knowledge many of you don’t have. Notes out.”

The rest of the class was spent listening to Snape go over the rules of his classroom, which were far more in depth then for other classes. Transfiguration incidents could be fixed easily. A Potions accident, however, could kill.

Towards the end of class he told them they would go over the cutting processes on Friday in their double lesson with Slytherin. Draco couldn’t hold back a groan at this. That was basic stuff! He had learned that years ago!

“While some of you may be somewhat familiar with potions,” Snape said, staring down Draco who blushed. Apparently Snape had heard the groan. “Others of you are not. That is why we are going over it, as well as to correct any mistakes you have been making or to get further practice. I will not let a simple mistake like dicing roots instead of slicing them land a student in the hospital wing.” 

The bell rang to signal the end of class and students began to pack up their belongings. 

“Homework is to read the chapter on potion preparation and write down any questions you have. Dismissed!”

Draco left with Harry and Ron, deciding to visit with Snape after classes were done. History of Magic was on the other side of the castle and although he was fairly certain Binns wouldn’t notice if an explosion went off, let alone if a student was late, Draco didn’t want to push it.

“That was actually a really good lesson.” Ron said as they made their way down the hall. “Fred and George are always going on about him saying he's a stingy old bat who hates kids.”

“Oh, he does.” Draco said with a chuckle. “I mean, in general, First Years screw up potions big time, so he has to be strict to make sure no one gets hurt or creates a poisonous gas.”

“I think potions will be one of my best classes.” mused Harry. “It sounds a lot like cooking, and I’m really good at that. It’s one of the only chores I  _ like  _ to do.”

Draco opened his mouth to say something, but Ron shook his head over Harry's shoulder, mouthing “ _ Later.” _

__ Draco raised an eyebrow, curious at what the redhead had noticed, but decided to wait. They could always pass notes in History of Magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate cannon Snape but if he made just a little effort into not being a dick he could have been a great teacher. 
> 
> The Beozar tidbit about it only working with natural poisons is my headcannon. Its never specified which ones it works against and although I imagine it’s still touch and go with some, it would generally work.
> 
> I may not post next week. I bought a computer and I have to transfer things over from my school account and idk how long it will take, plus I’m still working. Just wanted to warn y’all.
> 
> Let me know what you though about the chapter!


	6. Notes Are Passed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Guess who ended up writing this week? Me!

Ron thought Fred and George had been joking when they said everyone slept during History of Magic.

They were not, and Ron realized this when he fell asleep only ten minutes into the lesson. Draco was sitting next to him and shook him awake at some point, shoving a piece of parchment into his hands at the same time.

Ron wasn’t sure what was more surprising about his current situation-that Draco had been sorted into Gryffindor, or that Ron was  _ friends  _ with him. 

Well, as much as he could be after meeting him the day before. 

But  _ still. _ It was weird. Ron had grown up with his dad ranting about Lucius Malfoy, and how he was a crooked, dark wizard who wanted Muggleborns dead and Purebloods to reign supreme. 

Draco was, thankfully, not like that at  _ all _ . And while Ron was still mildly concerned about some of the things Harry had brought up at breakfast, the things that implied that, at worst, Dumbledore isn't who he seemed to be, and at best left him responsible for pretty much abandoning Harry, he figured he had gotten a pretty biased side of things. 

Maybe he should reach out to Bill and ask him about all this. It was way over his head. 

Mind made up about writing to his brother for  _ political advice,  _ of all things, Ron unfolded the note from Draco. His handwriting was just about as elegant as expected from someone raised to be a Pureblood heir, and Ron had to hold back a snort.

_ Did you hear Harry earlier? When he talked about his chores? _

Ron frowned. He didn’t think Draco would want to have this conversation in the middle of class. Harry was in front of them next to Neville, both of whom were asleep, so it wasn’t really a problem, but  _ still. _ He grabbed his quill and scribbled out a reply.

_ Do we really have to have this conversation now?  _

_ Yes. Also, your handwriting is atrocious. _

Ron snorted at Dracos reply. 

_ Look, I get the feeling Harry isn’t treated well at home. I think it's probably best not to mention it, and see if he says anything else. _

_ Treated bad? Like beaten, treated bad? _

_ Maybe. He keeps flinching at stuff, have you noticed? And we’ve only had a few meals here but he hardly eats anything. _

Draco didn’t reply, just stared at the paper in silence. Ron knew this was pretty serious stuff to be talking about. In the Wizarding world, children were seen as a blessing, especially if they were magic. Even if they weren’t, any self respecting wizard would be appalled to hear of someone mistreating a child. It was an Azkaban worthy crime. Draco finally passed back the note.

_ I think we should talk to my Godfather. I remember him telling Mother that he deals with things like this a lot-something about kids in those situations ending up in Slytherin a lot. Perhaps he can help, or at the very least find out what's going on. _

_ Who's your Godfather? _

_ Professor Snape. He's an old friend of my Mothers. _

Ron tapped his quill on the desk, thinking about how to reply. It would probably be a good idea to get an adult involved, especially if Harry was in danger at home. But they didn’t really know anything, and that could lead to trouble. Finally, he penned an answer.

_ Let's wait a few weeks. See if Harry says or does anything else. Maybe we’re just overreacting. _

Draco didn’t reply, just nodded in Rons direction. With that taken care of, Ron laid his head on the desk and went back to sleep. He could just read the textbooks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The move to my new computer went well! It was a really simple fix and I was glad. This chapter was fairly short but it accomplished what I needed it to.
> 
> Also I'm on Tumblr now! Come chat with me @happylittletrees3. I'll post updates on my writing here. Probaly.
> 
> I may stop posting regularly on this fic- School is starting soon and I might not have time. Its not abandoned though so no worries!
> 
> Final thing-would anyone be interested in a Discord server for this fic? I have one for my other story, Bonum Chao (link in fic description for anyone interested) and I wanted to see if you guys would be interested in it. You would be able to ask me direct questions and discuss this fic/the fandom in general, as well as get updates from me on my progress as well as little sneak peeks of new chapters! Up to you all!
> 
> Hopefully I'll see you next week!


	7. Halloween Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I'm not dead.

Harry didn’t say anything odd that led Draco and Ron to investigate further, so they agreed to let it drop. For now.

The weeks flew by and suddenly it was Halloween. Ron was absolutely  _ thrilled  _ for the feast, going on and on about all the food and deserts his brothers had said were there, and about the  _ wicked  _ decorations that were also supposedly there. 

Draco had happily noted that Harry was eating more and flinching less, but privately still worried about the fact that those things had happened in the first place. Harry was getting headaches in Defense though, but Draco chalked it up to the garlic smell in the room. It gave him headaches sometimes too.

Draco mentally went over everything he noticed and was preparing to talk to his Godfather about it all. While he had agreed with Ron to wait and see, at this point he would rather be safe than sorry.

Draco attempted to put his thoughts on his friends' home life aside and focus on Charms. He was partnered with Harry, while Ron was unfortunate enough to end up with Granger. 

The girl was obnoxious, Draco wouldn’t deny it. She was one of those Muggleborns that seemed to expect the Wizarding world to change for  _ them,  _ to make it more welcoming for Muggleborns.

And while Draco was all for the assimilation of Muggleborns, he didn’t want it to come at the cost of their traditions. They were there for a reason, and although most were symbolic some actually replenished the natural magic of the world.

Plus, Granger was just  _ annoying _ . Always waving her hand around and interrupting people, quoting textbooks like they were the word of Merlin himself. She didn’t seem to grasp the concept that not  _ all  _ books were accurate, or that she could learn outside of them either. How was she  _ not  _ a Ravenclaw?

He kinda felt bad that Ron had to deal with her, but rather Ron then himself he supposed.

“ _ Wingardium Leviosa!”  _ Harry said, fiercely flicking his wand at his feather, which rose with a jerk a few inches off the table, but promptly fell back down.

“Be less direct with your wand movements. Let your magic flow through you, and take your time. Visualize what you want to happen.” Draco said, raising his wand to demonstrate. “ _ Wingardium Leviosa!”  _

The feather rose slowly and precisely with Draco's wand, and he bounced it around in the air.

“Now look, Mr. Malfoy has done it! Marvelous work!” 

Draco beamed at the praise from Professor Flitwick. Charms was quickly becoming one of his favorite classes, and having such a renowned Charms Master teaching it certainly helped.

“...It’s levio-SA, not levio-SO.”

“Oh, well you do it then, if you’re so smart!”

Draco turned to see Ron red in the face and leveling a death glare at Granger, who promptly rolled up her sleeves and performed the charm effortlessly. 

“Oh, wonderful Ms. Granger, just wonderful!”

Ron banged his head on the desk after hearing Flitwicks praise of Granger, and Draco had to laugh. The class ended after a while, shortly after Finnigan managed to blow up his feather. 

Somehow. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“...It’s levio-SA, not levio-SO! Ugh, no  _ wonder  _ she has no friends. Honestly, would you put up with that  _ mess _ ?”

Draco opened his mouth to answer, but someone shoved themselves between him and Harry, running past the group. Draco noted the bushy hair, and realized it had been Granger. 

“I think she heard you,” said Harry.

Granger didn’t show up to the rest of their morning classes. As time ticked on, Ron looked more and more worried. 

“I feel bad. I didn't mean to hurt her feelings! It’s just...she was talking to me like I was stupid, and I  _ hate  _ when people do that! I’m not stupid!”

“Apologize the next time you see her and explain that.” said Draco swiftly. “She’s Muggleborn, I don’t think she understands that sometimes help isn’t always wanted.”

“It’s like that in the Muggle world too.” Harry said, setting his bag down in the Defense classroom. “I think it’s just her.”

Lunch and the afternoon classes went by without Granger's presence. As they walked to dinner, Ron glumly reported on the latest gossip.

“Lavender said she heard from Parvati who heard from Pansy that she’s been in the loo all day crying.” He groaned. “I feel  _ terrible _ .”

“Then apologize.” Draco said, walking into the Great Hall. The staff had gone all out on decorating. Giant pumpkins carved with creepy faces floated around the ceiling, and what looked like live bats fluttered in the rafters. The tables were loaded with more food than usual, and even Draco felt his mouth begin to water at the sight. Streamers and garlands hung from the wall, and there was a certain festivity in the air. 

“I’m disappointed we can’t celebrate Samhain.” he said, sitting down. “It's banned from being practiced at school, some old law or whatever, and it’s awfully disappointing.”

“How different are the celebrations?” Harry asked, loading up his plate.

“I mean...the way Wizards celebrate is not  _ too  _ different from Halloween. It's different from the way some Muggles celebrate Samhain though. It's just an emphasis on remembering your ancestors and those who have passed beyond the veil, stuff like that.”

Ron frowned. “That doesn’t sound so bad. Why is it banned then?”

Draco shrugged. “Light wizards saw it as dark so,” he gestured around the hall, “We celebrate Halloween now.”

Dinner continued with conversation about more holidays and traditions. Suddenly, as the desert appeared on the table, the doors of the Great Hall opened with a bang. Professor Quirrell (who Draco hadn’t noticed was missing) came running into the hall, looking absolutely  _ terrified.  _

“TROLL! TROLL IN THE DUNGEONS!”

Silence spread across the Hall as students and staff alike took in the words. Quirrell looked close to passing out.

“Thought you ought to know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry this took so long to come out. I just forgot about it for a bit? Then didn't have time to write...it spiraled.
> 
> I still don't have a schedule for this right now as I'm putting more focus towards my Bonum Chao series, however the next chapter should be out soon! Hopefully!
> 
> Also! I don’t follow Pagan practices with like Samhain and Yule at this point in my life. I intend to later on but right now I don’t. I modified the holidays a bit to better fit with the Harry Potter universe. If this in any way offends or is seriously a problem for anyone who does practice these holidays, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I don’t want to be that person, and although I’m modifying it I want that to both be ok and accurate as possible.
> 
> What did you think of the chapter? Leave a comment and let me know!


	8. Halloween Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this took so long, but here we go.
> 
> Also, if you haven't noticed, there is a reason that they don't know about Fluffy. Draco wasn't a dick to them, so he never challenged them to a duel or had the confrontation with Neville that ended with Harry being Seeker. 
> 
> Plot will have to advance in other ways... ; )

Quirrell passed out after his dramatic announcement. Several people screamed, and panic spread across the hall.

“ _ SILENCE!” _

Dumbledore's voice rang out over the crowd, and they all obeyed his command, turning towards the headmaster. His wand was pressed to his neck, magnifying his voice. 

“Prefects, you will lead your houses to your common rooms. Hufflepuff and Slytherin, remain. Your houses are in or near the dungeons, we will not be risking any student lives tonight. Staff, with me”

There was a mad scramble from the Ravenclaws and Gryffindor's to get to the doors. The prefects could be heard yelling for their houses to  _ calm down, go this way _ , but no one was listening. Draco briefly made eye contact with Pansy and Blaise, who looked terrified, though whether that was for him or themselves he couldn’t tell.

Ron's older brother was shuffling them towards the door and through the hall. Many of the upper years had their wands out. A tug on his robes pulled him back, and he turned towards Ron and Harry who looked even more terrified then they had a second ago.

“Hermione! She doesn’t know about the troll!” Ron said, his face white as a sheet. “We have to warn her, she could  _ die,  _ and it would be  _ my fault _ !”

Once again, the logic of eleven year old boys won out over the instincts one would usually follow in a situation like this. Draco ran off after Harry and Ron, breaking off from the group of Gryffindor's and towards the bathrooms. 

Ron skidded to a stop at a corner, and Draco was about to scold him for it, but then the smell hit him. It was like trash that had been left to rot in the sun, with a bit of dead things mixed in. It was  _ horrid. _

The troll came into view shortly after. It was a huge, lumbering thing, its skin a dark grey and covered in warts and boils. There was a knot on the top of its head, like something had fallen on it, and it held a large wooden club, almost as long as the doors to the Great Hall. The three boys watched as the troll lumbered through an open door that was,  _ somehow, _ big enough for it to fit through.

“Quick! Let's shut the door!” Ron whispered, running up to the door. Draco and Harry followed, and together they slammed the door shut. Draco cast a locking charm at the door. 

“Phew! Glad we dealt with that! Let's go find Hermione…” Ron said, making to dash down the hall. Harry and Draco followed, but the three stopped at the end of the hallway when the scream pierced through the air.

“Umm...Guys? I think that was the girls bathroom.”

Draco practically threw himself at the door, desperately trying to unlock it. Finally, the spell worked and he pushed the door open.

The troll was looming over Hermione, its club raised. The beast brought down the club, smashing the sink on the other side of the girl.

“Hey! HEY! Over here you dummy!”

Harry was yelling at the troll, trying to distract it. Draco grabbed a piece of the broken sink and lobbed it at the trolls back, joining in Harry's yelling. Ron was trying to coax Hermione out from under the sink.

The troll finally turned around to face them, and Draco decided this was a  _ bad  _ thing. Ron had finally gotten Hermione out from under the sink, but _ the troll was still there,  _ and now it was focused on him _.  _

Somehow, in the next few minutes, Harry ended up on top of the trolls shoulders, and his wand was up the troll's nose. 

“DO SOMETHING!”

_ Something  _ was Ron levitating the trolls club and knocking him out, hitting the bruise that was already there. Harry let go at just the right second, falling by the sinks while the troll toppled forward, almost crushing Hermione.

“Is this normal for a magic school?” Harry asked, breathless. He was removing his wand from the troll's nose when the door slammed open, and through it came McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrell. 

“What on earth... _ explain yourselves!” _

“Its my fault Professor...I read all about mountain trolls in a book and thought I could handle it...if-if these three didn’t come after me well-well I’d probably be  _ dead _ !”

Draco honestly thought  _ he  _ was dead, because Hermione had just told a bold faced lie to a teacher. He vaguely heard their head of house give them some points, before they were being shuffled back to the tower. 

Right before they left, he thought he saw blood running down Snape's leg. He had quickly covered it with his cloak, but Draco resolved to talk to him about it later. Had something else been in the castle? 

After that night, Hermione became an almost unconscious addition to their group. Ron had apologized that night (coming close to tears) and Hermione was adamant that she would learn to be less forward in the future, but nonetheless accepted Ron's apology.

And, although they didn’t know it, many of the professors saw the group of four walking through the halls, and remembered another group of four, those boys who were as thick as thieves. 

Minerva McGonagall drank to the fallen Marauders that night, and if asked, would deny that she cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I made the Marauders reference. I really think that those who knew them would look at the Golden-Quartet and see them.
> 
> What did you think? Leave a comment and let me know! I'm going to sit down and actually plan this and a Royal Visitor out after I post this so I will hopefully post both more often than I have been. I will say that Bonum Chao, my other series, is my main fic and will get more focus then this and A Royal Visitor due to this, although I will NOT abandon either.
> 
> See you next time!


	9. Reasonable Pets Are Limited To Two Heads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The quartet visits Hagrid and the afternoon takes an unexpected turn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya! Hope that you're all staying safe with the rise in numbers. We got the week off of school because of it so I'm not complaining. Got another chapter for ya, so enjoy!

Classes came and went. One morning at breakfast, about a week after the troll incident, Harry's owl Hedwig swooped down and gave him a letter. Hermione laughed into her oatmeal at Harry's reaction to this. He clearly hadn’t been expecting a letter, and spent a solid ten minutes trying to convince his owl she had brought it to the wrong person.

Hedwig did  _ not  _ take kindly to this accusation, and bit Harry several times until he finally gave up and took the letter.

“Huh. It’s from Hagrid, he wants to know if I’d like to visit,” Harry looked up at all of them expectedly, “I completely forgot I promised to. Do you guys want to come with me? He says I can bring my friends.”

“Who's Hagrid?” Hermione asked, looking up from her book. Since making friends with the boys, she had felt more comfortable reading out in public and not holed up in the library. They didn’t mock her for it like her  _ friends  _ from Primary had.

“He’s the Gamekeeper,” Harry said, grabbing his bags. Apparently, he intended to visit Hagrid  _ now, _ “He took me to Diagon Alley and introduced me to the Wizarding World.”

“The  _ Gamekeeper _ took you to Diagon?” asked Draco, a scowl developing on his face as they walked out of the hall, “A teacher or Ministry representative should have taken you Harry, that's the requirement for  _ all  _ Muggleborn or raised students.”

“Professor McGonagall took me,” said Hermione, following them. Ron was close behind, trying to shove a biscuit in his mouth as he walked.

“So Harry was introduced to the Wizarding World by one of the biggest Dumbledore supporters to ever  _ exist _ ,” Draco said, positively seething with anger, “Harry, I’m not so sure we should go see Hagrid.”

“Why does that matter?” Hermione asked, her confusion mounting. She remembered hearing the other three talking about the Wizengamot in the Great Hall at the beginning of the year, and vaguely remembered a comment about Dumbledore at the same time, “He’s a great wizard, why shouldn’t he be respected as one?”

Ron had caught up by now, and didn’t look like he was enjoying the conversation, “Hermione it's...complicated. I’m not even sure what to think about him anymore.”

Harry was looking more and more distraught as they carried on, and Hermione seemed to be the only one noticing. Harry clearly didn’t want to believe someone he  _ clearly  _ cared about was a bad person.

“Why don’t we go and just see what happens?” Hermione said, “We can always leave if it goes south.”

Ron and Harry seemed to agree with her, and although Draco didn’t look happy about it, the four of them made their way down to the edge of the grounds.

Harry practically bounced all the way there, while Hermione had a soft conversation with Draco about things in the Muggle world. He seemed fascinated about electricity and televisions, and practically demanded to see one over the summer.

Hermione couldn’t help but think it was rather odd to have friends that wanted to come over during the summer. She never really had any when she went to school in the Muggle world, either because of the color of her skin or for her bookishness. Hermione's parents swore up and down that these things made her special and that it was the fault of others for using them against her, but part of her never really believed it until she came to Hogwarts. No one here cared about her skin color or her study habits, not  _ really _ . 

They did care about her being Muggleborn, but the minute she walked through the doors she made the decision to show them that it didn’t matter where she came from, she was  _ special.  _ This wouldn’t be like school had been before. 

As Harry knocked on the door and barking and shouting was heard from within, Hermione couldn’t help but think she had achieved that. She was doing  _ extremely  _ well in her classes, to the astonishment of the more prejudiced students, and had found friends, to the delight of her parents who she wrote to on a regular basis.

Yes, the world she had found herself in was  _ certainly  _ magical.

* * *

Harry couldn’t understand why Draco didn’t like Hagrid. He was a kind and happy man, and had introduced him to a world that was  _ literally  _ magical _. _ Even if Dumbledore had his flaws, he was still a good person deep down. There was no reason for Draco to dislike Hagrid because he looked up to Dumbledore.

Hagrid opened the door of his hut, pulling back a large dog as he did so.

“Come on ‘n! Fang won’t bite, he’s a softie, ain't you?”

Harry walked into the hut, taking a seat at the large table. Hagrid's hut was small, but homey, with a bed in the corner and a roaring fire in the fireplace.

“Hagrid, this is Hermione, Draco, and Ron,” Harry said, pointing at his friends as he said their names, “They’re all in Gryffindor with me!”

“Nice ta meet ye,” Hagrd said with a grin, “Take a seat! Wanna cuppa?”

Harry, Ron, and Hermione gratefully accepted a cup while Draco shook his head. Harry was  _ really  _ hoping he could change his mind about Hagrid, who was a genuinely nice person.

“Sorry it took so long to visit Hagrid. The first few months have been...um...interesting,” Harry said, taking a sip of the tea. It was spicy, clearly some sort of tea he hadn’t had before. It was good though, so he took another drink.

“Nah, don’ worry ‘bout it! Ye’ve been busy by the sounds of it! Heard you four fought a troll!”

Harry nodded, and proceeded to tell Hagrid all about the incident, Ron and Hermione offering their own input on the event. Draco was the only one staying quiet, his gaze fixed on a piece of paper on the table.

“...And I’d honestly be dead if it wasn’t for these three,” Hermione said, wrapping up the story. 

“Hope you four don’t make a habit outta this kinda stuff,” Hagrid said with a chuckle, “Them twin brothers of yers, Ron, they give me ‘nuff of it as is!”

“Harry, when were you in Diagon?” Draco asked, still staring at the piece of paper.

“My birthday, why?” Harry said, looking over Dracos shoulder. He had been staring at a newspaper article about someone breaking into a vault at Gringotts that had happened on his birthday.

The vault had been emptied earlier that day, and Harry gasped as he recognized the number.

“Hagrid, that was the vault you took that package from!” Ron and Hermione took the article from them after that, their eyebrows raising in shock.

“Look, you four don’ worry ‘bout that, alright? A’int nunna yer business, that’s all ‘tween the Headmaster and Nicholas Flamel-”

“Who's Nicholas Flamel?” Hermione asked, interrupting. 

Hagrid paled, “Shouldn’a said that. Look, don’ worry ‘bout it, Fluffy’s guarding that good he is, ain't no one gettn’ into that corridor.”

“Fluffy?” Ron asked, his eyebrow raised in a startlingly good impression of Draco.

“Yeah, he’s me Cerberus. Got ‘em on the third floor guardn’-Wait, never you mind what he’s doin’! Why don’ you four get along? ‘S gettn’ late, ye gotta get back.”

They were practically shoved out the door after that, and the four Gryffindor's trudged through the snow back up to the castle.

“Do any of you know who Nicolas Flamel is?” Hermione asked. The other three shook their heads.

“Looks like we’ve got some research to do,” she mumbled, her brows furrowed.

“Why on  _ earth  _ would we do that?” Draco asked, sounding scandalized, “Like he said, it is  _ not  _ any of our business.”

“There's a floor of the castle closed off, around the same time that something is almost stolen from Gringotts and a troll is let into Hogwarts,” Hermione said confidently, “Whatever was in that vault is probably on the third floor now, being guarded by Fluffy. I mean, why else would anyone put a  _ Cerberus  _ in a  _ school _ ?

Draco looked like he wanted to say something, but closed his mouth, looking as if he was deep in thought, “And someone could be trying to steal it...they could have let in the troll as a distraction so they could get to the third floor…”

Hermione clapped her hands, a grin spreading across her face, “Gentlemen, I think we need to go to the library. We need to find out who Nicholas Flamel is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still despise Hagrids accent and I need you all to know that.
> 
> What did ya think? Leave a comment and let me know! Guilt trip me into posting/writing more often! It might work, I really should post more on this.
> 
> Enjoy your weekend and Happy Thanksgiving to all who are celebrating on Thursday! Stay safe from both COVID and toxic family and try to have a good time!

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what ships you want for the other characters. Drarry is one goal here but I’m open for anything for the others unless it’s incest (Fred and George poly is ok if they’re not fucking each other just the same person).
> 
> There is now a comment for ship recommendations!
> 
> Leave a comment and let me know what you thought! I love hearing from readers!
> 
> Fight me on Tumblr @happylittletrees3


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